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Monday, April 1, 2013

Read This F@!%ing Book (11) Plus Giveaway!

Welcome to a feature I'm going to post on Mondays called:

Read This F@!%ing Book!

This is a feature for me to push my favorite reads that just aren't getting enough attention!

I'm also opening it up to anyone who would like to guest post. Do you have a book that you just LURVED but feel like its not getting the play it deserves? Email me to let me know and I'd be THRILLED to have you post about it here! Especially if its something I haven't reviewed yet - that's even better (but not necessary)! If you're interested email me:

Though I love many series, and a number of them flitted through my head as possibilities when I volunteered to write today’s post, in reality there was one I knew all along I wanted to make everyone read because I just don’t think enough people are reading it. I think everyone must read Eileen Wilks’ World of the Lupi series, starting with Tempting Danger.

Why I Love It

There are a lot of reasons to love this paranormal series but one of my favorite things is Lily and Rule. I’m a sucker for series where the main protaganists remain the same, and we get an ongoing romance (this is evidenced by the fact that I’ve read all 40+ stories in the JD Robb series). Eileen Wilks gives us Lily and Rule book after book. While some of the earlier books do derail from showcasing Lily and Rule (and I’m the first to admit, those aren’t the best books in the series), the majority of the books give us Lily and Rule, their growing love for each other, their conflicts as they learn to live together and manage their different lives and different beliefs.

I love that there’s all of these amazing secondary characters, an interesting world, fascinating conflict and yet, at the center of it all, is the deep love Lily and Rule have for each other. Even when things are tough, you know they’re totally into each other. Rule loves her, he loves her even when he’s puzzled by his love for her. Seeing a tough, dominant, sexy guy who could have just about anyone or anything love such a strong, capable heroine…is there anything better?

Why I'm Pushing It

I don’t hear enough people talking about these books. Maybe because we only get one novel a year, with maybe a novella in between? Maybe because the people who started the series grew uninterested when the series veered away from Lily and Rule as protagonists early on? I love these characters, love the world and I think more people should read these books for Lily and Rule, because the author has (hurray!) concentrated the series on them after that detour.

World of the Lupi takes magic, shapeshifters, dragons, ghosts, witchcraft, and a host of other paranormal elements and turns it into a society that you believe really could be just around the corner and down the road. It sucks you into the worldbuilding without overwhelming you, teases you with details without making you feel lost, and builds it all into something unique in a market glutted with paranormal and urban fantasy worlds.

Lily!!!

I know, you probably thought I was going to write an ode to Rule, but while I love Rule, I think we should all read this series for Lily. Here is a heroine who’s strong, interesting, vulnerable, smart, capable, caring and so fully realized you want to take her out for drinks. This is the heroine who can be all these things without being bitchy or coming across as stubborn for the sake of showing she can do it herself. She’s got a family that drives her nuts, a job she loves and is good at, she has her own personality quirks and she’s the person you’d want solving your murder. In short, Lily is everything you could want in a heroine, a perfect match for a dominant shapeshifter.

If you love paranormal, shapeshifters, sexy, sexy heroes, kickass heroines, funny, loveable secondary characters, ongoing plots (no cliffhangers, promise!) and getting to stay with the same characters over more than one book, this series is for you. Recommended for those who love Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, and Patricia Briggs.

About me:

Angela James, executive editor of Carina Press, Harlequin's digital-first single title imprint, is both an avid reader of digital books and a veteran of and advocate for the digital publishing industry. She has enjoyed a decade of experience in her field, including successfully launching, building and serving as executive editor for two digital-first presses, Samhain Publishing and, most recently, Harlequin's Carina Press. She has edited bestselling authors such as Shannon Stacey, Jaci Burton, Lauren Dane and more. Angela is the creator of the popular self-editing workshop for authors, Before You Hit Send. You can find Angela on Twitter at @angelajames.

EBOOK COPIES OF ANY TWO BOOKS IN THE SERIES!

In the spirit of getting a few more people hooked on this series, I’ll gift 2 digital copies to 2 people who comment on this post by April 7th at 11:59pm. Your choice of gifting via Kobo, Barnes and Noble or Amazon.

20 comments:

I feel guilty saying that I've actually never heard of this series. It sounds good and while I love it when main characters change from book to book, I also admit, seeing the same characters evolve throughout a series is pretty great too. Will definitively have to check it out!

I'll admit I'm one of the ones who gave up on the series. But now, Angela just might be tempting me back. :-) Love all those paranormal books with strong leads who aren't pains in the backside. Kathy @ kathyivan dot com

Oh I am most definitely checking out it this series. I love the book and author recommendations. Love finding new authors and especially love series. Thanks for the giveaway. Adding to my reading radar.christinebails at yahoo dot com

Don't enter me... I have preordered every book! Just also wanted to throw my fangrl squeeing in... love, love, love this series! And as an asian woman, it's nice to have a 3rd generation asian main character who's depicted accurately w/out stereotypes! And have a hot, werewolf man like Rule to drool over doesn't hurt either! READ THIS SERIES!!!!!!!

*ears perk up* I did not know about this series, but now I definitely want to read it. I love following one strong couple, tangentially or otherwise, through several books and Lily sounds amazing. Also, I'm a big fan of believable and compelling secondary characters. I'll be wandering over to buy the first book now. Oh, and arimichaelswrites at gmail dot com.

I haven't read any of her books, but I do love urban fantasy. I also enjoy when the author carries the romance throughout a series. Sounds like something I would like. Thanks for offering the giveaway.

No, I haven't read them. At 9 books long, I feel like I have failed Urban Fantasy somehow by not even knowing about this series! I downloaded the sample and I really liked it. I added it to my wishlist :)

I feel horrible for not having heard of this series, but the general concept sounds really fun (I'm just starting to get interested urban fantasy), and your description of Lily sounds wonderful. Plus, I tend to get swamped by fantasy that almost "overbuilds" a world--even though I love fantasy--so knowing that it's fully realized without being overwhelming is as appealing as your description of Lily.